Ceng Ho Sian was a bustling city with a large market, not too far from the capital city. Therefore, it was frequently visited by traders from different cities, making its commerce flourish rapidly. At that time, the Emperor of the Sung Dynasty was Emperor Hui Tiong and following the extravagant lifestyle of the nobles in the capital, Ceng Ho Sian also reaped the bountiful rewards from this opulence. The city of Ceng Ho Sian seemed prosperous and peaceful because it was far from the northern border where turmoil was beginning. Ceng Ho Sian was on the edge of Shantung Province and in this city lived a wealthy man named Shi Men. He was only thirty years old but his wealth enabled him to live abundantly.
When his father passed away a few years ago, he left behind a large pharmacy and an impressive and luxurious house, filled with fine and expensive furniture. Shi Men's residence had dozens of rooms, with stables and servant quarters in the back. In short, Shi Men was known as one of the city's wealthiest inhabitants. Since his youth, Shi Men had lived a lavish life, swimming in a sea of pleasure, especially being known as a Kongcu, a playboy who could never resist smooth cheeks and sleek hair. He also enjoyed practicing martial arts, just for show, and practicing swordplay. However, he was also quite adept at gambling—dice, chess, and other games among his friends.
It's a common occurrence in this world, where there is sugar, ants will swarm. If someone has a lot of money and is generous, they will be surrounded by many friends. These kind of friends usually have sweet tongues and will lead people into reckless behavior. This was also the case with Shi Men. He had many friends like that. There were nine closest friends, and two of them even served as his right-hand men. One was named Ying Po Kui, a former silk merchant who had gone bankrupt due to gambling and wasteful activities and now relied on the generosity of Shi Men, who in return, would supply him with beautiful women. Not only did Shi Men benefit from this, but he also found potential candidates for the harems of high-ranking officials and wealthy men.
Due to his occupation, he was often mocked with the nickname Ying-Kai (Beggar Ying) or Broker Ying. However, Ying Po Kui did not get angry, instead considering these nicknames an honor. The second of Shi Men's henchmen was named Cia Si Ta, who was of noble blood. He, like Ying Po Kui, was the same age as Shi Men, around thirty years old. Cia Si Ta was the grandson of a former city governor. However, when he was still very young, he was left alone by the death of his parents and squandered his inheritance, leading a reckless life and neglecting his education, which could have led to a potential position of power.
He preferred to indulge in pleasure with Shi Men, and because he was very good at playing the yang-kim (a kind of zither), he was liked by his friends, especially because he was also generous. These nine good friends accompanied Shi Men every day and led him into a never-ending life of extravagance. Almost every night they would spend their time drinking, gambling, or womanizing. Especially when it came to chasing women, they were a pack of wolves craving flesh and blood, and with the influence of money and power, they were known for harassing girls and even other men's wives.
Shi Men was not only good at wasting money on pleasure. He was also good at business and made a lot of profit by relying on officials. By bribing them, he received a lot of help from the authorities. His influence even reached the capital city and he had even bribed four high-ranking officials known by the nickname "Four Corruptors of the State". They were Cai Cing, the Minister, Yang Kian, the Great General, and two eunuchs, Kao Sui and Tung Ksan. These four had great power in the capital as they were the Emperor's right-hand men and were also known for accepting bribes.
Because Shi Men had connections with them, of course, the lower-ranking officials dared not mess with him and this made Shi Men respected in his city. He even seemed to have become an unofficial advisor to the local officials where he lived. Many of his suggestions were accepted by the bribe-takers and officials. Shi Men married at a very young age, seventeen. In his first marriage, he had a daughter. However, his first wife passed away and he remarried a woman who, after becoming his wife, was called Goat Toanio (Lady Moon). Goat Toanio was twenty-five years old and the daughter of the retired Governor Bu.
Goat Toanio had a gentle and wise character and her face was pretty enough to please her wild husband. Besides Goat Toanio as Shi Men's wife, he had two younger wives. The first was named Li Kian, who had a full-bodied figure, and the second was named Co Tiu. These two women were former courtesans whom Shi Men had made his younger wives. Then, among the young female servants, there were three or four who were also secretly Shi Men's lovers, who always craved young and beautiful women. Lust is like a raging fire, the more it is fed, the more vicious it becomes, the more it is given bait and food, the hungrier it becomes and never knows satisfaction. This was also the case with Shi Men, there were many women who would gladly serve him, but he was not yet satisfied.
At night, with his friends, he would still roam the brothels and like a group of eagles eyeing chicks, they would roam around looking for beautiful girls to become their victims if given the chance. Many women, whether girls or other men's wives, fell prey and ended up in Shi Men's hands and embrace. Not only because Shi Men was rich and generous, but also because he was a man who easily captivated women's hearts. His body was robust because he often practiced martial arts, his face was handsome and his clothes were beautiful and expensive, he was a Kongcu who easily won women's hearts. One day Shi Men met his wife and said,
"My wife, on the third day of next month, I would like to have a party with my friends to celebrate our annual reunion. Therefore, I hope you can prepare for the party to be grand, and don't forget to invite several singer girls." Goat Toanio frowned. "Ah, my husband. I hope you don't ask me to meet people like them! They're like evil spirits that have just come out of hell to cause chaos in the world. Do you want to invite them into our honorable home? At least you should consider the health of your third wife, who has been unwell lately."
"My good wife, usually in all matters, I agree with you, but this time I have to disagree," Shi Men said, trying to appease her.
"Maybe some of my friends are rough, but Ying-Toako should be excluded. They are good and trustworthy friends."
"Hmmm, sounds convincing. But suppose your situation changes, it will be proven that they are useless like two dolls." Shi Men smiled.
"All the better if I don't need anyone else's help and it's better if I'm always in a situation where I can help them. Isn't it better to give than to ask? Anyway, my wife, if you're uncomfortable, let's have the celebration in the Temple instead. I will discuss this with my friend Ying-Toako." Just as Shi Men mentioned that name, suddenly A Thai, their favorite servant, reported that there were two guests outside, none other than Ying Po Kui and Cia Si Ta.! Hearing this, Shi Men happily left his wife's room, while Goat Toanio stayed in the room. She didn't feel the need to greet her husband's guests whom she only knew as friends of his who were pleasure-seekers.
Shi Men greeted his two friends with great enthusiasm. Ying was a man of about thirty-five, who tried to spruce up and pose with his not-so-new clothes, pretending to be a big merchant. His tall, thin body and his gaunt face from smoking opium always seemed to be grinning, revealing a false character. Cia, on the other hand, was a thirty-year-old man, medium-built but with a fat belly and bald head, indicating a lack of physical activity and too much indulgence in good food. His face could be considered handsome, with a clean-shaven, fair complexion, and friendly eyes and mouth, his demeanor still showed that he was of noble descent, slightly arrogant.
"Where have you two been, haven't seen you in a few days?" Shi Men asked after greeting his two friends. Ying laughed heartily.
Glossary
- Kongcu: Young master or noble.
- Shantung: A province in China.
- Emperor Hui Tiong: The emperor of the Sung Dynasty.
- Yang-kim: A type of zither.
- Goat Toanio (Nyonya Bulan): Lady Moon, Shi Men's wife.
- A Thai: Servant.
- Ying-Toako: Nickname for Ying Po Kui, Shi Men's friend.